River Severn (main river)
The Act of Parliament for the River Severn (main river) was passed on 17 September 1888 despite strong opposition from Oliver Smith who owned land in the area. In 1905 the Wessworth and Aberdeen Canal built a branch to join at Gloucester. Expectations for iron traffic to Maidstone never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. In later years, only the use of the canal for cooling Bridgend power station was enough to keep it open. The canal was restored to navigation and reopened in 1990 after a restoration campaign lead by Kirklees parish council.
The navigational authority for this waterway is Canal & River Trust
Relevant publications — Waterway Maps:
- Waterway Routes 01M - England and Wales Map
- Waterway Routes 43M - River Severn and Gloucester and Sharpness Canal Map (Downloadable)
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
Why not log in and add some (select "External websites" from the menu (sometimes this is under "Edit"))?
Wikipedia has a page about River Severn
The River Severn (Welsh: Afon Hafren), at 220 miles (354 km) long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, discharging an average of 107 m3/s (3,800 cu ft/s) into the Bristol Channel at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales, at an altitude of 2,001 feet (610 m), on the Plynlimon massif, which lies close to the Ceredigion/Powys border near Llanidloes. The river then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. The county towns of Shrewsbury, Gloucester and the City of Worcester lie on its course.
The Severn's major tributaries are the Vyrnwy, the Tern, the Teme, the Warwickshire Avon, and the Worcestershire Stour.
By convention, the River Severn is usually considered to end, and the Severn Estuary to begin, after the Second Severn Crossing, between Severn Beach in South Gloucestershire and Sudbrook, Monmouthshire. The total area of the Estuary’s drainage basin is 4,409 square miles (11,419 km2). That figure excludes the area of the River Wye and the Bristol Avon, both of which flow into the Severn Estuary. The Estuary discharges into the Bristol Channel, which opens into the Celtic Sea and from there into the Atlantic Ocean.